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Saturday, 27 February 2016

Review - 'Legends of Tomorrow', S01E06 - 'Star City 2046'

With the previous episode ending with
the Wave-rider forced to crash-land in Star City in the year 2046, the
stage had seemed to be set for another very entertaining episode. Not
only that but, by finally moving into the future, Legends of
Tomorrow had finally shown some
indication that it was ready to start making the most of its basic
premise. The setting, itself, has also seemed to have a great deal of
potential - with the team being confronted by a Green Arrow, who
clearly wasn't Oliver Queen, on streets that looked to be overrun
with crime.

After
a tense (and, honestly, somewhat implausible) confrontation, in which
this lone archer was able to drive the whole team of 'Legends' back
to their ship, Rip discovers that they are, effectively, stranded
until they are able to make some repairs to his damaged ship.
Realising that (conveniently enough) a part that they need might be
available within the city, Rip sets out with Leonard Snart and Mick
Rory, determined to recover it by any means necessary - though, Sara
Lance is also quick to invite herself along.

As
they search for what they need, though, Rip and Sara find themselves
drawn into the centre of an extended conflict between this new Green
Arrow, and another mysterious figure who seems to have taken on the
identity of 'Deathstroke' - and, eventually, discover that (despite
all evidence to the contrary) Oliver Queen might not be dead, after
all.

Mick
Rory and Leonard Snart, meanwhile, find themselves drawn into their
own little adventure, when a violent encounter with a local gang
results in Mick taking over as their new leader. While the rest of
the crew stayed behind to work on repairing the ship.

In the end, what this episode really
boiled down to was another case of simply trying to juggle too many
plot-lines.

The team's encounter with a weary and
beaten future version of Oliver Queen was great - and, Stephen Amell
did an impressive job of portraying yet another variation of his
well-established character (even if the make-up, and beard, used to
'age' him weren't entirely convincing). Connor Hawke (Joseph
David-Jones), meanwhile, was quickly able to establish himself as a
worthwhile successor - and, the reveal that he was actually 'John
Diggle, Jr' added an entertaining layer of complexity to their
relationship. It's really just a shame that we aren't going to be
seeing any more of him - since, another spin-off (especially one set
in a future which, it is made clear, it only 'temporary') doesn't
seem very likely.

On top of that, the argument that
cropped up between Rip Hunter and Sara Lance, about whether or not it
was worth getting invested in trying to help Oliver and Connor, was a
genuinely interesting one that plays on another fascinating aspect of
the show's time-travel premise. Obviously, a decision did eventually
need to be made regarding who would, ultimately, be portrayed
as 'right' - and, it was Sara who eventually won out. But, it was
interesting while it lasted.

As the new Deathstroke, though, Jamie
Andrew Cutler just wasn't really up to the task. The ideal situation
here, of course, would have been to bring Manu Bennett back to play
an older version of the original Deathstroke - but, sadly, that
probably wasn't an option. Instead, what we had was the sudden
revelation that Slade Wilson had a son, and that it was this son who
was the cause of all of Star City's current problems - and,
unfortunately, the portrayal of this new character simply lacked the
natural charisma, and the imposing presence, that I would have hoped
for (and, which Manu Bennett seemed to bring effortlessly, during his time on Arrow).

Captain Cold and Heatwave found
themselves drawn off into a side-plot of their own - though, it was
one that felt appropriate, and which played on the ways in which both
men have developed over the season, so far. The idea that Mick Rory
would be drawn to what anyone else would see as a chaotic hell-hole
(and, that he would actually want to stay), was also a good reminder
that he is very different from his partner. While Leonard Snart
operates by his own complicated code of honour, and seems to have
become committed to the idea of stopping Vandal Savage (even if his
motives aren't quite as selfless as others on the team), Rory is a
criminal and a violent thug. That characterisation of Mick Rory has,
for the most part, been used as a source of comedy - but, it was very
interesting to get a chance to see something a little more dangerous
and threatening at work.

Each of these plot-threads contributed
to the episode in a very meaningful way - but, unfortunately, it was
the third major plot-line that dragged the episode down, for me. With
half the team off having their own adventures in this dystopian
future version of Star City, the rest of the team are left behind to
make basic repairs to the ship - and, it's at this point that things
start to take a bizarre turn into 'romantic comedy' territory. With
Jax and Ray both seeming to decide that being stranded in a grim
future, aboard a time-machine that was in serious need of repair, was
the perfect opportunity for each man to suddenly develop a romantic
interest in Kendra Saunders.

It was a development that felt awkward
for a variety of reasons.

First, there is the simple fact that it
took up screen-time that could have been much better spent,
elsewhere. The time that was wasted on this awkward, and very sudden,
love triangle could have, for example, been better spent establishing
the episode's villain, or devoting more time to Oliver Queen and
Connor Hawke - or, giving more time to Captain Cold and Heatwave, and
the tension that seems to be developing between them. Honestly, there
were all sorts of way that this screen-time could have been used.

Second, there's the more practical
matter of exactly how much time as passed, for them, since Carter
Hall was killed. Even considering the unclear nature of their
relationship (with Kendra unable to remember their past lives
together, and not seeming too eager to enter into an actual
relationship before his death), the fact that Ray and Jax would still
feel it was appropriate to try to 'make a move' so soon came across
as inappropriate.

Sure, it wasn't all bad. Professor
Stein's bumbling efforts to help Jax with his romantic troubles were
amusing (with the psychic link that connects these two, very
different, halves of Firestorm resulting in some genuinely funny
moments) - and, Kendra, herself, was able to show some of her own
growth as a character when she (firmly, but considerately) put an end
to any notion of romance aboard the ship (at least, where she was
concerned).

This insistence on trying to juggle too
many plot-lines seems to have become a recurring problem with Legends
of Tomorrow. It's starting to
seem as though the creators simply feel as though they can't
leave any of the show's varied cast on the side-lines - and, as a
result, feel the need to go to occasionally absurd lengths in order
to give each of them something to do. Honestly, a love triangle that
suddenly cropped up for a single episode and which will, most likely,
never be mentioned again would have to be the worst example of that
trend so far, though. If it's a choice between this sort of thing,
and having some of the cast fade into the background for an episode,
I know which I would prefer - but, I suppose I just have to hope that
the creator's come up with better ways to manage the show's disparate
cast, in the future.